As the Western Conference has become more and more loaded, the Blazers haven't just sat there twiddling their thumbs and hoping to strike it rich with a big name. They drafted intelligently and positioned themselves via trades as the third team in one deal and as the beneficiary of preying on a team in desperate need of unloading a young, talented player in order to grab cap space.
Olshey looks like he went to the Daryl Morey school of asset acquisition and in the process, he didn't panic to trade Aldridge when there were rumors of his unhappiness and he just plugged away to fill out a roster that complements a solid core of starters.
It's hard to find a team that used the offseason as wisely as the Blazers and because of it, we may see a surge toward the playoffs at the end of the 2013-14 season instead of them petering out.

"I'm someone that keeps the players apprised of what we're doing, across the board," said Olshey. "LaMarcus and I have had a lot of conversations throughout the summer and it started the night before free agency, doing trades to get Robin Lopez and to get Tom Robinson and bolster our front court. He was pleased with that, we communicated that with one another."
And the last move of Olshey's offseason, signing veteran guard Mo Williams to a two-year contract, was also made with Aldridge in mind.
"Adding Mo was just another guy that can do the two things on the offensive side that LaMarcus excels at," said Olshey. "He can run pick-and-roll and he can feed the post and spot and space the floor."

I think last year was a tough year for everybody. Portland is not a market that accepts losing. We'd tried not to rebuild but we always tried to be somewhat judicious in terms of how much future flexibility we gave away. To be honest with you, that's the results of this offseason. Had we done more minor moves and put more assets in play, moved more draft picks, there wouldn't have been a [Thomas] Robinson or a Robin Lopez. If we had given long-term deals to guys we weren't totally sure on, there wouldn't have been a Mo Williams today. I think what LaMarcus sees now -- like what you just brought up -- there is a plan. And we're executing the plan and we're going to stay disciplined and stay diligent about getting there as quickly as possible without jeopardizing the long-term health of the franchise.

Williams alone would be able to make a significant dent in that deficiency. But the Blazers also added sharpshooting forward Dorell Wright, who averaged 9.2 points and shot 37.4 percent from the 3-point line, and took a chance on forward Thomas Robinson, the former No. 5 pick who has yet to be given a consistent role in the NBA.
The addition of combo guard C.J. McCollum in the draft, too, should help. With Lillard, Williams, McCollum and Wesley Matthews, Portland now has a deep and versatile backcourt.
“I am excited, I think playing with C.J. is going to be good for both of us,” Lillard said. “We will have different options now. I can play off the ball, he can play off the ball. All the guys we have, it is going to make us that much tougher to defend.”

• Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com (Insider) ranks NBA teams by their talent under the age of 25, with the Blazers falling in at ninth. Led by Damian Lillard, Portland has eight players under 25 on the roster. Elhassan:

Lillard was one of the breakout stars of the 2012-13 season, as a scoring guard with point guard feel and playmaking, and he made the top 25 under 25 as a result. Lost in the hoopla of Lillard's play was a career year from Batum, who is entering his sixth season in the NBA. His all-around game finally got a chance to shine under new head coach Terry Stotts, as Batum was one of just eight players to average at least 14 points, five rebounds and four assists per game.
Barton showed some promise as a raw, untamed scoring talent; Leonard exhibited potential as a raw, unrefined athlete at center; and Claver flashed as a multi-talented wing with size. But the real haul came in the draft, as the Blazers were able to bolster their bench by drafting McCollum, a gifted scoring combo guard, and Crabbe, a pure shooter with size. Finally, the acquisition of Robinson might turn out to be the steal of the summer if he can develop into the type of player teams thought he could be coming out of Kansas a year ago.

Batum's steady improvement hit a plateau in his fifth NBA season, and his 2.2 percent loss in usage rate suggests that playing alongside Damian Lillard may have actually impacted his game in a negative fashion. For Portland to get back into the playoff hunt this season, Batum needs to be a stronger No. 3 to the core duo of Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge. Right now, Batum is perimeter-oriented, but his 3-point success rate was just around league average last season. He's been around 40 percent a couple of times, and if he can get back to that, then perhaps he can make more plays off the dribble and get to the foul line more often.